Method and apparatus for dispensing volatile liquid



A. E PAIGE 2,216,542 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING VOLATILE LIQUID Oct. 1, 1940.

Filed NOV. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ME' IHOD AND APPARATUS FOR, DISPENSING VOLATILE LIQUID Arthur E. Paige, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application November 4, 1938, Serial No. 238,773

4 Claims.

My invention may be advantageously employed in dispensing hydrocarbons, for instance motor gasolene. It is ordinary practice to dispense such gasolene from a subjacent tank through apparatus including a pump, an electric motor ''operatively connected with said pump, a flow meter, having volume indicating means operated by the passage of liquid through said meter, and a flexible dispensing hose connected with the outlet from said meter and provided with amanually operative valve at its free end. Such hydrocarbon is not only volatile, but contains more or less atmospheric air 06- cluded therein; so that unless means are provided to eliminate air and gaseous vapors from such liquid before it is passed through the meter,

the indicating means does not correctly show the volume of liquid actually dispensed through the hose, but a greater volume including entrained air and gaseous fluid, and, consequently, the customer is cheated.

Therefore, the prior art is replete with various devices including complicated valve means intended as so-called air eliminators for gaso-' lene dispensing apparatus.

It is the object and efiect of my invention to simplify and consequently lessen the cost of gasolene dispensing apparatus by providing a pump. capable of simultaneously elevating the gasolene from the supply tank to the dispensing hose and separating from the liquid, before delivery thereof through the meter, the lighter fluids for which the customer should not be charged. As hereinafter described, an essential element of my invention is a wheel'having a circular series of blades, rotatable upon a vertical axis, with centrifugal impelling and separating effect upon the liquid and the gaseous fluids primarily occluded therein.

- In said drawing; Fig. Ijis a plan view of apparatus conveniently embodying my invention. Fig. II is a vertical sectional view of said apparatus taken on the line H, II in Fig. I.

In said figures; the casing I has at the lower portion thereof a liquid conduit connection 2', leading to.the axial inlet opening 2" in said casing. The conduit 3 extends from said connection 2 to a subjacent tank or other'source of supply of the volatile liquid. Said casing is con- -veniently formed of two parts, of cast metal, .with' the gasket I between them and rigidly connected by tap bolts I". The upper part of said casing has at the top thereof the outlet vent 4, for lighter fluid. Intermediate of said liquid inlet 2 and vent 4 said casing is provided with the tangential outlet 8 for the liquid to be dispensed, which is discharged therethrough into the conduit ii which may have a flexible dispensing hose connected with its distal end andprovided with a nozzle containing a valve which is normally spring pressed to close it, but may be manually opened, in accordance with the present practice in gasolene dispensing apparatus.

The partition I separates said casing l into two 10 compartments, one above the other. compartment I has said liquid inlet 2 and liquid outlet 6. Theupper compartment l is in communication with the lower compartment I The lower through the opening I in said partition I, prefershaft 8.

Said shaft 8 is provided with means exterior to said casing. I for rotating said shaft and impeller wheel; conveniently the belt pulley II which is rigidly connected with said shaft, and may be turned by a belt connection with an electric motor. However, an electric motor may be directly connected with: said shaft 8. Said shaft 8 is upheld, conveniently by the wheel Ill fixed thereon, to present said impeller wheel H) in position to discharge. liquid through said tangential outlet 6.

Between said conduit connection 2 of the casing l and the subjacent tank or. other r servoir for the liquid to be dispensed, said liquid inletconduit 3 is preferably provided with acheck valve which opens freely toward said casing when said impeller wheel is rotated during a dispensing operation; but closes when the rotation of said wheel III is stopped by the operator at the conclusion of a dispensing operation. Of course, it is necessary to prime such dispensing apparatus to enable it to elevate the liquid from the subjacent reservoir. That is to say, the conduit 3 and the liquid passageways leading therefrom to the tangential outlet 6 and the conduit 6- are primarily filled with liquid to enable the impeller I0. to elevate the liquid in the subjacent tank past said check valve, and, thereafter, said impeller remains submerged in the liquid to be dispensed.

. If it is desired to permit continued rotation of said impeller wheel l when the manually controlled valve at the end of the dispensing conduit is closed; I find it convenient to provide a by-passfrom said conduit 6" to said conduit 3 with a check valve which is normally closed by a spring, but is automatically opened by the pumping action of said wheel Hi to permit by-passage of liquid from the outlet to the inlet side of said impeller wheel III at a predetermined pressure of liquid in said dispensing conduit 6 less than would be detrimental to the dispensing hose connected therewith.

It is to be noted that the lighter hydrocarbons used for motor fuel are not only highly volatile, but when subjected to airfpressure to progress them as in some types of motor gasoiene dispensing apparatus, they absorb a considerable percentage of atmospheric air which remains occluded and entrained therein until the pressure which induced such absorption is relieved.

The effect of the construction and arrangement above described is that upon rotation of said impeller wheel l0 liquid is drawn into said casing I from the subjacent tank or other reservoir with whatever atmospheric air and liquidvapor may be occluded therein. The rotation of said wheel I0 turbulates such liquid and gaseous mixture in the compartment I and the centrifugal effect of such rotation drives the liquid portion of the mixture t the perimeter of said chamber l, relieving the fluid pressure at the axis of the rotor Ill and leaving the gaseous fluids free to escape axially upward from. 1 compartment l, through apertures I0", in said rotor 10, into the compartment i from which they may be vented to the atmosphere through the outlet 4 and the conduit 4, which latter may extend to the top of any outer casing in which the apparatus shown may be inclosed.

However, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for dispensing volatile liquid; means for simultaneously pumping such liquid from a subjacent tank to dispense it centrifugally and centripetally eliminating therefrom lighter fluid including volatile portions of said liquid and atmospheric air; including a casing having at the lower portion thereof a liquid inlet conduit connection, and at the upper .portion thereof a gaseous fluid outlet, and intermediate of said inlet and outlet a tangential outlet for said liquid; said gaseous fluid. outlet being very small and restricted in comparison with said liquid outlet; a partition separating said casing in two compartments, one above the other, the lower compartment having said liquid inlet and liquid outlet and the upper compartment having said gaseous fluid outlet; said partition having an opening therethrough for passage of gaseous fluid from said lower compartment to said upper compartment; a rotary shaft extendin verticall in said casing; a. centrifugal impeller wheel rigidly connected with said shaft in said lower compartment adjoining said partition, and having a circular series of blades extending outwardly with respect to said shaft;

and means for rotating said shaft and wheel, connected with said shaft exterior to said casing; whereby liquid is drawn into said casing through saidliquid inlet and discharged from said casing through said liquid outlet and lighter fluid simultaneously separated from said liquid,

passed into said upper compartment, and vented through said gaseous fluid outlet.

2. In apparatus for dispensing volatile liquid; means forsimultaneou'sly pumping ,such liquid to dispense it centrifugally and eliminating therefrom lighter fluid; including a casing having at the lower portion thereof a liquid inlet conduit connection, and at the upper portion thereof a gaseous fluid outlet, and intermediate of said inlet and outlet a tangential outlet for said liquid; said gaseous fluid outlet being very small and restricted in comparison with said liquid outlet; said casing including two compartments, one above the other, the lower compartment having said liquid inlet and liquid outlet and the upper compartment having said gaseous fluid outlet; a passage for gaseous fluid from said lower compartment to said upper compartment; a rotary shaftextending vertically in said casing; a centrifugal impeller wheel rigidly connected with said shaft in said lower compartment, and having a circular series of blades extending outwardly with respect to said shaft; and means for rotating said shaft and wheel; whereby liquid is drawn into said casing through said liquid inlet and discharged from said casing through said liquid outlet and lighter fluid simultaneously separated from said liquid, passed into said upper compartment, and vented through said gaseous fluid outlet.

3. In liquid dispensing apparatus; the combination with a containerhaving a liquid supply inlet, a liquid dispensing outlet and an unobstructed outlet vent directly to the atmosphere for fluid lighter than the liquid to be dispensed; said outlet vent being very small and restricted in comparison with said dispensing outlet; means for simultaneously progressing the liquid from its inlet to its outlet, separating lighter fluid therefrom, and venting the latter from said container, including a single rotor having centrifugal impeller means in said container, and means exterior to saidcontalner for revolving said rotor; wherein the rotor is revolved in a horizontal plane, the progression of the liquid is effected horizontally and the separation of the lighter fiuidfrom the liquid is effected vertically upward and axially with respect to said rotor.

4. In dispensing volatile liquid; the method of separating lighter fluid therefrom by gravity and centrifugal force operating simultaneously; which consists in circularly whirling the fluid mixture in a container, thereby forcibly .pro-

gressing the liquid tangentially toward a dispensing outlet from said container, and simultaneously prbgressing the lighter fluid axially toward an unobstructed outlet vent from the container, directly to the atmosphere; said outlet vent being very small and restricted in comparison with said dispensing outlet; wherein .the whirling movement of the mixture and progression of the liquid is effected in a horizontal plane, and the separation of the lighter fluid from the liquid is effected vertically.

AR'I'HUR E. PAIGE. 

